Winter complementary food for roach and sorog at home

Groundbait recipes

Any fisherman can prepare winter supplements for roaches at home. To do this you will need ingredients that are sold in any supermarket.

Recipe for feeding with the addition of coriander

One of the time-tested compositions includes the following components:

• bread crumbs from wheat bread - 400 g;
• corn flour - 200 g;
• dry baby food - 100 g;
• dried daphnia - 50 g;
• ground coriander - half a teaspoon;
• feed bloodworm 150 g;

Place all bulk ingredients in a sealed bag and mix thoroughly. This winter bait for roach and roach does not require pre-wetting. It is delivered to the bottom in dry form using a feeder, which makes it more attractive to fish.

Bloodworms are introduced into the composition immediately before feeding the hole . Some of the larvae can be crushed - this helps to quickly attract roach to the fishing point. This composition works in lakes and reservoirs with standing water. It can be used throughout the entire freeze-up period.

A working recipe for fishing throughout the winter

Based on breadcrumbs

Another easy-to-catch recipe for do-it-yourself winter bait for roach is prepared from the following ingredients:

• breadcrumbs made from Borodino bread - 400 g;
• dry baby food - 100 g;
• oatmeal (ground oatmeal) - 100 g;
• ground cumin - half a teaspoon;
• dried daphnia - 50 g.

After the dry ingredients are mixed, about 150 grams of feed bloodworms are added to the composition. Like the previous version of the mixture, this bait does not require moisture. Delivered to the bottom of the reservoir using a bell-type feeder, it is evenly distributed over the substrate and looks natural.

This composition is suitable for fishing for roach in winter in closed lakes with clear water and muddy soil. Breadcrumbs from Borodino bread used as a basis will give the bait a dark color. Thanks to this, the mixture does not stand out on the bottom, which is very important when catching cautious fish. This recipe works all winter long.

Bait for standing water

To catch roach in reservoirs without a current, it is better to use dry mixtures, that is, they do not need to be mixed with water and formed into balls.

The bait is simply added to the hole, and it, gathering dust, sinks to the bottom, leaving a column of turbidity that attracts roaches from afar. Ordinary semolina is suitable as dry bait, but if you want to do something more complicated, you can use the preparation of a fragrant mixture that will definitely not go unnoticed by the roach.

Recipe No. 1

Prepare the following ingredients:

• Breadcrumbs;
• Corn grits;
• Buckwheat;
• Pearl barley;
• Peas;
• Orange zest.

Take cereals in approximately equal quantities (150 g each), grind them in a coffee grinder. Also chop 100 g of yellow peas. Bait for roach in winter should not saturate the fish, so it is better to avoid large particles. Mix the dry mixture thoroughly; it is convenient to do this in a bag. Now it needs to be flavored. To do this, you need to add a couple of teaspoons of zest, chopped dry basil in the amount of 3 tbsp. spoon, coriander - 1 tbsp. spoon, it also needs to be crushed, and you also need to add salt (2 tsp). In order for all components of the bait to “make friends,” the mixture must be heated in a preheated frying pan. With constant stirring, the process takes about 7 - 10 minutes. After cooling, the bait is placed in a container or bag, and at the pond bloodworms are added to it, but this is not necessary.

Recipe No. 2

This recipe can be called universal, since it does not matter what kind of tackle is used - a jig or a float, its base is suitable for both current and standing water. If you suddenly want to go fishing and don’t know what to feed the roach, take half a glass of dry cream or milk, a glass of breadcrumbs and a pinch of crushed anise seeds. On the river, balls of clay are formed from this base; on the pond, sand is added to the products. To enhance the effect, you can use bloodworms or chopped worms.

Correct consistency

The consistency of winter bait for roach depends on several factors:

• depths at the fishing site;
• current forces;
• the nature of the bottom soil.

When fishing on a winter feeder, it is suggested to use a small feeder; be sure to take into account the depth at which the fishing is carried out. If the mixture is too dry, it will wash out before it even reaches the bottom. A highly waterlogged composition will not create the necessary trail, which is also unacceptable. Properly prepared bait should easily mold into balls that disintegrate in water in 3-5 minutes.

The ball of bait dissolves in water

The stronger the current, the more viscous the composition should be. You can increase the erosion time by adding various adhesive components:

• clay soil;
• boiled millet;
• oatmeal scalded with boiling water.

By adding these ingredients in portions, you can easily adjust the viscosity of the bait mixture.

In stagnant reservoirs, when catching roach with a winter fishing rod, it is better to use dry bait, which creates an appetizing column of turbidity and quickly attracts fish to the fishing point. Unmoistened mixtures are also preferable to use in ponds and lakes with soft silty soil, since they do not sink into the substrate and always remain visible to roaches.

Do you need bait in winter?

To understand whether it is worth using bait when fishing for roach, it is enough to get acquainted with the lifestyle of this fish. She prefers to stay in flocks and stays in one place exactly as long as there is enough food there. Having cleaned the bottom, the roach goes further in search of the next feeding spot. From this we can draw a simple conclusion: the best results are obtained by using bait when fishing, as it allows you to keep the fish where the angler needs it.

Usually, winter reservoirs where roach are caught are well inhabited by “penguins”. Given that it is not always possible to drive off-road to places where there is a lot of fish in the summer, you have to be content with those ponds and lakes that are accessible in terms of access to them. As a result, there is a large crowding of fishermen eager to fish for roach in one place. Everyone tries to use bait, the fish gets used to it, and gradually certain preferences in ingredients develop. It turns out that the composition of bait for winter fishing for fish such as roach varies depending on the reservoir.

This feature dictates two models of fisherman’s behavior. We would call the first option – do as everyone else does. The fish is accustomed to certain aromas and tastes, they do not frighten it, it responds well to what is offered to it. There is another option - on the contrary, the trick is to offer the roach something new, delicious. It’s not a fact that she will like it, but experimenting can be very useful. When there is no bite, you should use all means to attract fish.

What flavors and smells do roaches like in winter?

The flavoring of the winter bait mixture is also of considerable importance. Roaches prefer the following scents in winter:

• caraway;
• paprika;
• coriander;
• shrimps;
• bloodworm;
• worm.

To give the attractive composition the necessary aroma, use natural ingredients or purchase concentrated attractants at a fishing store.

Flavorings for roaches in winter

Flavorings for complementary feeding in powder form are added when mixing other components. If we are talking about using liquid attractants, then first dilute them in a small amount of water. The resulting liquid is moistened with dry bait ingredients.

In winter, you need to be very careful about the dosage of odorous substances. If the aroma of the bait is too rich, it will scare away the roach rather than attract it. The smell of the mixture should only be slightly detectable by the human sense of smell.

Bait for roach and various tackles

Bait for float fishing

Roaches most often bite in the middle or upper layer of a reservoir. If the bait immediately tends to the bottom, then you can forget about a good catch. It should create a cloudy cloud behind it, which will attract the fish. To do this, you should add a baking powder, such as sand, to the bait.

The effect of a cloudy cloud can also be achieved from store-bought baits, most often “Vulcan” or “Geyser”. You should not add very much of this bait; only 1-2 beans will be enough. It will raise a cloud of turbidity, which will attract roaches.

If you want to do without store-bought complementary foods, then as an analogue you can use:

• Powdered milk
• Semolina

Let's move on to making bait.

Compound:

• Semolina
• Breadcrumbs
• Flavor

Manufacturing:

• Add cold water to semolina
• Place the mixture in a nylon stocking
• Place the stocking in cold water for 30 minutes
• Add crackers to the resulting mass
• At the end, mix everything together with the flavoring.

Groundbait for bottom fishing

With the help of a donkey, roach is also caught along with other fish. Targeted fishing for this fish is only possible in shallow waters where large fish are afraid to swim. The bait should have a sufficiently viscous consistency to hold together during casting.

As it sinks to the bottom, it eventually collapses and releases the feeder. To do this, it is better to add bloodworms or maggots, since with their movements they loosen the bait.

The Importance of Adding Animal Ingredients

Be sure to include animal components in your winter feed for sorrel, which will significantly increase the number of bites. Cold water mixtures usually add:

• feed bloodworm;
• small maggots;
• chopped worm;
• burdock moth larvae;
• drill.

When fishing for roach in sea estuaries, the addition of fresh, chopped shrimp is effective.

Animal components are added to the bait immediately before fishing, and then they remain alive and attract fish with their movements on the bottom. If bloodworms, burdock or maggots are added to the mixture, then some of the larvae can be crushed. This action will lead to the release of juice, which will quickly attract the roach to the fishing point.

Properly prepared roach bait in winter contains at least 20% animal components. This will allow you to count on a stable bite throughout the day.

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Making winter bait for roach with your own hands

Compound

• Crushed crackers – 500 grams.
• Sunflower seeds – 200 g.
• Orange/tangerine peel – about 100 grams
• Rice or flour - 2 tbsp. spoons.

The best flavors for roach fishing

Everyone knows that roaches have a “sweet tooth.” She loves the smell of vanilla, but only among store-bought mixtures does this aroma come across quite rarely in its pure form. However, flavors can also be purchased separately, but it is worth considering the difference between store-bought and individual options.

In addition to vanilla, fish are also attracted by the aroma of coriander, which can increase the activity of complementary feeding. As part of the bait ball, it throws aroma particles into the water.

Also one of the best flavorings is anise. It smells good and activates the roach, and also increases its appetite. Therefore, almost all ready-made baits contain this element in their composition.

Other flavorings are used for dry baits:

• Caramel
• Almond
• Hemp
• Chocolate

Manufacturing instructions

All elements are mixed. Dry bait can be stored for a long time without spoiling. And upon arrival at the reservoir, it can be diluted with water from the hole made.

Tips for making winter bait for roaches

• The bait should not be bright in color, as roaches are repelled by bright colors.
• In winter, this fish reacts more to animal feed.
• Do not add flavoring in large quantities. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
• The bait should sink to the bottom of the reservoir gradually.
• The bait should be moistened exclusively with water from the reservoir in which roach fishing is carried out.
• Ground coriander is an excellent additive to add to bait, as roaches love this aroma.
• If the roach bites poorly, then reduce the diameter of the leader and the size of the hook.
• This fish bites better in muddy water than when the water in the reservoir is clear.
• Bread is one of the old lures. Using flakes pressed on a hook, you can catch fairly massive specimens.
• If small fish are often caught, then use corn. Large grains help sift out small things and allow large individuals to get closer to the bait.
• Follow the golden rule - what is used in the bait, add to the bait.

How to feed roaches in winter so that the food works

For successful fishing, a winter fisherman chooses a feeding method depending on the fishing conditions. Fishing takes place in still water or in current conditions.

When fishing in the current

There are two ways to feed roaches on the current in winter using a feeder. The first is fishing with a winter feeder. In this case, the bait gets hammered into the small structure every time the rig is lowered to the bottom. This method of attracting fish is effective and is used on large and small rivers.

The second method is to install a large stationary feeder just above the working hole, which is lowered to the bottom of the reservoir using a rope. This method is very convenient and is more often used on a large river.

In weak or moderate currents, bait is delivered to the bottom using a classic winter feeder. However, in this case, the mixture must be well moistened and heavy soil must be added to its composition, which prevents the rapid erosion of the bait.

Features of feeding roach in winter

Roaches constantly move around the reservoir in search of food. If it is not there, the fish will inevitably leave the place. Therefore, feeding roach is a necessary necessity to attract fish to the fishing site. The main purpose of bait is to stimulate the fish's appetite.

Bait can be purchased at a specialized fishing store or made independently. To do this, certain ingredients of plant and animal origin are selected, which are mixed together in proportion. The main point in preparing your own bait is not to overdo it with water. The mixture should be of medium thickness and when lowered into the pond, the correct bait should look like a cloudy column. Humidification with water is carried out at the fishing spot, at the hole. After which you can use the bait mixture.

Feeding of roach is carried out in accordance with the reservoir on which fishing is planned:

• In stagnant water, the mixture is poured into the hole itself. The bait is prepared and then dropped into the pond in small lumps using small balls or using a feeder;
• When there is current or great depth, the bait enters the water using a feeder. As soon as the mixture sinks to the bottom, the feeder is emptied of food. This is done with a slight tug of the hand. Thus, the bait does not just fall to the bottom and be carried away by the current, but forms a feeding spot that will attract roaches.

In winter, roach responds well to bait of animal origin, such as bloodworms or maggots. Closer to spring, you can add earthworms and various larvae. However, this does not mean that plant baits are useless in winter. They are also used. One of the roach’s favorite treats is semolina and batter. Fish readily bite on such baits. Unfortunately, there is no universal recipe for catching roach. At each reservoir, bait is selected experimentally.

How often do you add bait?

After pouring in the bait, you need to wait for the result in just 5 minutes. If the roach does not show activity, you can feed again. You shouldn’t wait long for a bite, 10 minutes is enough. After this, you can move to another place, and return to this hole after a while and check it. Perhaps the flock was scared away by the pike, and it will return here again, but later. So, throughout the winter day, small portions of the mixture should be poured into the most productive holes at intervals of 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Read How to make kukan with your own hands

Fishermen often argue whether it is worth continuing feeding if there is a good bite? There is no clear answer. Sometimes a school can move away from the hole in the midst of a bite, such is the character of this fish. It is caught in swoops, in several approaches: it bites, calms down, and starts biting again. This means that she is nearby. Therefore, a new portion of bait should be added when the active bite decreases.

Choosing tackle and equipment for roach in winter

During cold periods of the year, the roach tends to sleep and lethargy; accordingly, the bite will be almost unnoticeable. In order not to miss the fish, you should choose sensitive equipment.

There is no universal option, so we recommend equipping the fishing rod yourself, while taking into account all the features of the planned fishing trip.

Uda

The availability of fishing rods for roach fishing in winter pleases with its abundance and variety. Float equipment is selected according to the same principles as the others. The main requirement is a material that can withstand the lowest temperatures without becoming brittle under its influence.

By following the recommendations below for choosing a fishing rod, your fishing will be more successful and much more comfortable:

• Weightlessness of the device. Since you will be performing a variety of manipulations with the fish from time to time, you need the design to be easy and accessible to use. Excessively heavy or too bulky models will cause you a lot of trouble and will also take away your strength in the first stages of fishing. As a result, you will not get any pleasure.
• Strength. A very important indicator, since the conditions where fishing will take place are quite harsh and materials of average strength are not able to withstand them.

Flexible whip. Its presence is simply necessary for hooking and implementing high-quality resistance from the caught prey, especially when catching large roach.

fishing line

Fundamental tips:

• Stock up on new and fresh fishing line for winter hunting. It’s great if she doesn’t have memory, but she has a soft structure of the material.
• When hunting for roach, it is not recommended to use a fishing line that exceeds one tenth of a millimeter.

Sometimes you can use thick monofilament.
For example, when biting is very active, it should be used in order to scare away passive rams. When there is no bite for a long time, you need to try to reduce the diameter of the working monofilament. In most cases, these measures significantly improve the current situation.

There are several options for rigging a fishing rod for winter fishing:

• In the cold season, fish prefer places above the bottom surface, and accordingly, their search begins from this zone. The float is selected so that its tonnage coefficient is at least 0.3 grams less than the total mass of the weights. Otherwise, it simply will not plunge into the water space. Check the system in advance, because correcting deficiencies will be much more problematic in the cold than at home. It is necessary to maintain a certain distance between the lower weight and the hook (7 cm); if there is no bite for a long time, then you can increase the distance to 30 cm. Thus, the bait will create movements that are more attractive to the fish when it goes down and up.

During a thaw and a long absence of oxygen, the predator rises closer to the surface of the water.
In this case, you should fish with a leash. To do this, the float is loaded in such a way that it begins to slowly sink into the pond. In this process, the main role is played by a weight that slowly sinks onto the sandy surface. The length of the float is selected individually for each fishing rod (approximately from 6 to 34 centimeters). Read: Float rod with feeder

Store-bought bait for catching roach

Ready-made winter bait mixtures are easy to find in fishing stores. Such baits are often marked “for cold water”. These baits are flavored with what is common for roaches at this time of year - maggots and bloodworms. Supplements of dried blood and betaine have also worked well. The color of winter baits is predominantly dark.

Among the most popular baits are the following manufacturers:

• G-Stream;
• Dunaev;
• FishDream;
• Brain;
• Flagman;
• Fanatik.

Required components and their properties

To make bait for a feeder with your own hands, a fisherman must have knowledge of the components suitable for use in mash and understand their effect on the final state of the product after its inclusion in the recipe. Next, we will look at the ingredients most often used in the preparation of feeder feed, focusing on their properties that affect the effectiveness of bait for the required fishing conditions.

Loosening

Leavening agents are elements that, once in the water, begin to release air bubbles, decomposing the mixture, which additionally attracts fish. For example, carp, and other types of peaceful fish, are responsive to feed additives of such types of leavening agents as wheat or rye bran, corn flour. Garden soil can easily act as a leavening agent, and millet, pearl barley and peas that are not fully cooked until fully cooked are also used for these purposes.

Knitting

Viscosity is added to feed using binding ingredients. These include products such as: milk powder, rye or wheat baking flour, semolina, crushed sugar and rolled oats. By adding any of these connecting elements, the bait for the feeder is brought to the consistency required for the fishing conditions.

Flavors

Flavorings or attractants give food an odor that attracts fish. As a rule, these are sweet tastes based on the aromas of spices and fruits. Flavorings are divided into two groups - natural and artificial. Natural types of honey, molasses, and spices such as vanilla, cinnamon, chicory and cocoa are widely used. Artificial flavors include sugar syrups, concentrates of caramel, chocolate, fruit attractants and, in particular, strawberry, banana and mixed tutti-frutti aroma.

Herbal supplements

Plant additives add odors of certain plants to the food that attract fish. It has been noted that during periods of rapid reproduction and algae growth, fish are more likely to accept bait containing these finely chopped components. In addition to seaweed, horsetail, fresh dill, young boiled potatoes, reeds and cattails are added to the mixture.

Read Bait for catching crucian carp

Animal supplements

Animal supplements serve as a high-calorie addition to the mixture.

When mixing the bait, the animal component is added at the last stage, immediately before being fed into the fishing zone. Cut worms, live or canned maggots and bloodworms are the most common options for animal feed additives. Crushed shells, dried insects, crayfish and shrimp meat also do an excellent job as an animal additive. Sometimes even fish scales are mixed into the food.

Additives for visual effect

Visual effects are created by two methods - by tinting the mash or adding substances to their composition that work in water like a geyser, creating active seething. Geysing components are sold in fishing stores as special additives for making feeder bait. The bait compositions are tinted with food coloring or by adding cocoa powder, milk powder, clay and black soil to the mixes.